Rekha Basu: A wake-up call? The Iowa Poll shows a big disconnect between Iowans, especially women, and elected officials. Rekha Basu, Des Moines Register
The Register s Iowa Poll is one of a kind; here s why
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A series of recent poll findings on Iowans’ attitudes toward current issues provided a welcome antidote to the constant barrage of extreme, ideologically based bills the Iowa Legislature has been cranking out. Clearly in many instances, a majority of the Iowa public are not fans.
But the answers to the Selzer & Co. March Iowa Poll questions of 775 adults also raised this question: How can Iowa politicians be so out of tune with what the public wants?
Elections attorney
John Pirich says while Michigan’s election laws might benefit from some small adjustments, these bills don’t represent repairs to the system.
“I would call them, in most instances, obstacles to voting, quite honestly,” Pirich says.
How did we get here?
In 2018, Michigan voters passed Proposal 3, which allows all Michiganders to vote absentee without having to provide a reason. This change was widely regarded as a measure that expanded voting access.
Clerks have pointed out that changes in how votes can be cast creates a need for changes in the law regarding how and when ballots can be counted as more Michiganders cast votes by absentee. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, election officials anticipated a further increase in absentee voting due to public health risks, and they prepared voters for the possibility that results in the general election wouldn’t be available by Election Night.
“If the aroma of organic fertilizer repeatedly wafts into your yard from a nearby working farm and you try to sue to stop it, it’s likely to be considered a nuisance lawsuit and you’ll be barred by law under Florida’s ‘Right to Farm Act.’ If you live near the Everglades Agricultural Area and years of inhaling black ash and smoke from sugarcane burning have caused long-term health problems and you want to sue, Florida legislators are giving bipartisan support to a bill that considers those lawsuits a nuisance, too.”
“DeSantis, 42, will join about 6 million people in Florida who have already received at least the first dose of a vaccine. The state has a population of 21.5 million people. He didn’t give details about when or where he’ll get his shot.”
Cherry blossom crowds, roller coaster return, farmworker fears: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Montgomery: The state said it was distributing its first COVID-19 vaccine doses to prisoners Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced. The Alabama National Guard was expected to deliver about 1,400 doses to the Bullock Correctional Facility. Prisoners are not required to get the shots. The doses were first allotted to a National Guard-run clinic aimed at vaccinating rural communities. In a statement, ADOC said attendance at those clinics last week was limited by severe weather. The state Department of Public Health notified ADOC that a surplus of defrosted Pfizer vaccines needed to be used. Prisoners and other populations in group settings are prioritized under federal vaccine guidelines because of the risk congregant settings pose for the highly infectious coronavirus. Families of prisoners last year said